Flaming Ruin
by evilRevan
Summary: "It seems young Avatar, that your plan has failed." "This is not over Amon." "Oh but young Avatar, it is over for you and all benders." Korra watches as everything crumbles to dust as the final showdown proves just who is the winner. Korra is now at Amon's mercy, but both of them failed to see one vital thing; they need one another. Rated M and AU!
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** _Thanks to the Amorra fanbase I've finally gotten into the ever so taboo couple. Not surprising since I adore bad guys and it seems masked villains are my weakness. Anyway, I'll point this out now, this is AU._

_ As much as I'd love for this to be real and such, it's not. Of course, there will be some hints of all the episodes here and there but it won't follow what might come in episode ten that's coming out June 23rd. Please bare that in mind. Rated T for now but that will hopefully change as things progress._

_One last thing I must say is thank you! Thanks to all the Amorra lovers because without you guys and your fanfictions and videos on YT I would have never fallen in love with this pairing. Also I will say that the title is a work in progress. *Fails with titles*_

_So, enjoy my fellow Amorra lovers._

* * *

Silence and darkness. That's what everything came down to, _no_ glory or victory. Just silence and darkness.

At first, everything was going smoothly; the equalists were backing away, fleeing even. But like everything else, something happened. Amon happened.

In just seconds, everything flip-flopped. Now the equalists were pushing back the benders. Slowly and painfully one by one everyone fell. Knocked out, but their fates sealed the minute their eyes closed. However, up till the very end, the young Avatar held her ground. Well, for as long as she was able to. But just like her friends, she was brought to her knees.

Thick electrical whips wrapped themselves painfully around both arms, her head low from the previous electrical jolt she received trying to break free.

Everything was silent, the remaining benders, the equalists, and even the Avatar.

Like thunder breaking through a peaceful lull, somewhere around the avatar someone clapped. With rage and anger flickering through the young Avatar's dark sapphire colored eyes, she lifted her head. What she saw sent a chill up her spine. _Amon_.

Slowly, just like in the movies, Amon approached the captured Avatar, his permanent smirk feeling ever so mocking and triumphant, more so than it ever had. The chilling sensation increased as the winds flooded the open area, blowing everything that wasn't tied down. Loose strands of thick brown hair blew across the furious and spirited young woman's face. Even if those strands blocked her view for only a second, it failed to stop her from visualizing… _him._

Every step he took set her into a panic, a_ hidden_ panic. Korra just kept up her appearance, her rebellious, persistent, and strong _appearance_. Gritting her pearly white teeth together, she stayed in her place, rage building inside her stomach like a forest fire.

Now, in just seconds, Amon's stoic mask was leering down at the young Avatar. Defeat was inevitable, a sickening reality. A _horrible_ reality.

"It seems young Avatar, that your plan has failed." His deep, baritone voiced mocked, or gloated. It was hard to tell at this point with rage and fury constantly building and building.

And then out of the blue, he knelt down to her level gripping her face with his hand. Blue eyes met brown eyes for the second time. Struggling was useless; the Avatar knew this,_ begrudgingly _so.

However it didn't mean she wouldn't keep trying until she succeeded. Childishly and spitefully the dark young woman spat at his mask, words weren't needed to convey her feelings for him.

His cool demeanor broke as he gripped her chin even tighter than before. Faintly, his white hand grew even whiter with the effort. Her resolve broke that very moment. Her rebellious face cracked in pain. He had won.

"It seems you still lack manners, _Avatar._" He growled while his eyes bore into her's .Without another word, his fingers let go of her chin just as he began to rise.

Turning his head to the side, Amon directed his attention to one of his people. "Take her down to the cells." His deep voice boomed. His eyes slowly shifted down at his captive. "Do not underestimate her a _second _time, lieutenant."

"Yes Sir!" A nod was all that was given afterwards and the Avatar felt herself being pulled up the by whips. Scowling in fury the only thing she could do was glare into that mocking white mask. If anything her current thoughts were deviating towards burning that thing off along with his face.

"Move along, Avatar." One man hissed through his teeth as he shoved the young woman forward. She could only begrudgingly comply. Her soft fur lined boots made contact with the stone roads as she made her way towards the large metal truck. However, before she even made it there, she walked right next to Amon.

In that moment she snapped her head to the side. "This is not over Amon." Chuckling every so smugly, he waved her little threat away.

"Oh but young Avatar, it is over for you and all benders." And just like that, she was pushed forward and into a large metal truck. Her restraints were now the wires that had been on each of her arms. Oh so similar to snakes, they wrapped around both her arms and bound them together, same could be said for her feet as well. There was no escape this time. No rescue, absolutely nothing to save her from… _him._

Silence and Darkness, that's what everything had come down to. The benders failed and now everyone's fate was to be decided by that masked monster.

From the outside, the equalists could hear the avatar's feet slamming viciously against the side of the truck. One lucky hit made the metal warp and become a footprint in testament to her unbridling strength and fury.

"When I get out of her Amon you'll be sorry!" She shrieked in rage as Amon watched the truck plow through the streets.

Undiscovered and unseen, Amon smirked underneath his mask in victory.


	2. Chapter 2

Very slowly, time slipped through her fingers as she sat inside her solid steel cage. Her eyes saw only darkness, slowly engulfing her entire body.

Then, the gravity of the situation sunk in after an hour of constant bumps and potholes. A numbing sensation enveloped the young Avatar, consuming her as voices echoed all around. The benders, all of them were still fighting, rebelling against the monstrous force that was Amon. Shrieks and screams voiced her worse fears. They were failing and falling prey to the Chi blockers.

Amon was winning.

Nausea crawled into her stomach, forcing her to wrap her arms around her knees to contain it. Their showdown had ended with her bound and helpless. It was pitiful, demeaning, and unfair.

Stewing in the darkness with only a few rough bumps breaking the silence, the Avatar angrily ground her white teeth together.

_This_ was not how it was supposed to end.

Defeating Amon and capturing the equalists; that's how it was supposed to end. But this?

This wasn't victory. It was defeat, a cold an unbearable_ defeat_.

Swiftly and angrily, a fur covered boot slammed against the bottom of the stifling and lifeless cage.

Helplessness gave way to fury once again.

"Amon, you haven't won yet." She seethed. Her dark colored hands curling into vengeful fists.

Silently and maliciously, she vowed he would not succeed in his quest to rid the world of benders. It just couldn't happen. It _wouldn't _happen.

Slicing through the silence a piercing screech echoed within the metal prison. All movement ceased to exist.

Swallowing the young woman lifted her head just in time to see the steel doors open up. Defeating the darkness, moonlight bathed every part of her. However, her dark blue eyes stayed transfixed on a pair of eerie yellow goggles.

Like a panther, they watched and waited for any signs of movement. Sadistically the Avatar gave them something to worry about. She smiled in a sickingly sweet way.

"Which one of you is going to help me out of here?" She cooed as that smile stayed plastered upon her face.

Silence. Oh so sweet silence mixed with hesitation.

"I believe I am, _dear_ Avatar." A single sentence; was all that was needed for Korra's blood to completely freeze over.

As if on command, the group of chi blockers parted to allow another to enter her line of sight. Stepping into the moonlight, a robed man made himself known, _disgustingly_ known.

"_Amon." _ She sneered, wrinkling her nose in both disgust and rage.

No response except just a single hand offered to her. Stubbornly, his hand was let in the air, coolly rejected.

"_Avatar."_ Amon uttered. His voice heavily laced with venom. "...You have two choices. Either you come peacefully or I'll have my men drag you out forcefully." Letting the threat sink in, the equalist leader waited just a moment longer, and was rewarded with the hand of a wary Avatar.

Tugging back, the avatar found herself finally out of her steel cage. Thanks to _Amon_ that is.

"I can handle the avatar, see to the others." Standing straight the masked men nodded and left the scene quickly. No one second guessed him after his recent success.

Finally left alone Amon shifted his gaze down, giving the avatar his full attention. Her blazing blue eyes full of disgust and anger, weren't lost on him.

"I'm sure you can walk, can you not?" No answer. "Fine, I'll take that as a yes." And without missing a beat, his hand gripped the Avatar's arm, slowly guiding her to a rather ominous looking building.

Once the doors opened up and the two of them carefully walked down various halls did things become mechanical. Left foot, right foot, rinse and repeat. The only thing that was real in this delusional dreamlike wake was the unchanging vice like grip upon her left arm.

Cold blue eyes shift upwards, up at _his_ mask. Nothing had changed, nothing had marred it. It was white and pristine like it always was. It never changed, never showed signs of wear and tear. It just… stayed the same.

Walking down the halls had almost no interruptions. People walked passed from time to time, but no one said a thing. There was no need to.

But of course, the silence had to be broken. It _had_ to be. Stifling and insufferable as it was, it had to end. Or else the young woman's sanity would finally_ crack._

"No harm will come to you, Avatar. Be aware of that." A pause, followed by startled blue eyes. Gathering her composure and thoughts she shot back, "Besides taking my bending away, that is." A brown eye shifted it's gaze to her from beneath the pristine mask.

"I've told you before, Avatar…" He paused, eyes drifting back forwards. "…That I won't allow you to become a martyr. For that reason alone..."

"…I'm safe for now." She finished for him. Or whispered with how soft her voice became that very instant. Once again, a single brown eye shifted downwards.

"Any real reason why _you're _personally escorting me?" She asked, raising a very good question to their current… _conversation._

"Time and time again you've proven... _resourceful. _I cannot say my people would be able to handle you should you attempt to escape."

"So, they're inept."

"When it concerns you, Avatar," He paused. A very subtle sound of air being sucked in came from his direction. "… Yes."

Satisfied, she dropped all comments, stowing them away for another time, _if_ she got another chance to say them. For now silent anger brewed under all her skin. Walking with her enemy, even allowing to him to touch her was pushing it to varying degrees. So really, how had she managed to _keep _a simple conversation going like that?

Continuously walking down various lit hallways things fell back into its natural rhythm. But this was short lived. _Very_ short lived.

Walls gave way to metal prisons; tidy little prisons but prisons none the less. Grimacing at the thought, one of these metal prisons would be hers for a long, long time.

Bars whirled past at a sickening pace. Faces peered from behind their metal prison; some watched in simple curiosity, others hoped it was their turn to go free. But gazing at the people holed up inside those cold and lifeless cages, many just looked down in despair.

Benders. Benders who had lost their abilities they were born with.

Nausea clawed its way back up her throat; slowly suffocating her with dread right behind.

She prayed everyone was safe, safe and away from Amon and his insane Chi blockers. The very last thing she wanted to see was one of their, sad and miserable faces in here.

But she had to ask. She _had_ to know. Were they even here? "The firebender and his brother are currently residing in another part of the building." He calmly answered her unspoken question.

A lump now formed inside her throat. Panic and fear rose up from the corners of her mind. "Spirits." She whispered in disbelief.

"No harm will come to them. But like you, they will be cleansed in the future." He stated coolly, increasing the Avatar's fear.

Now bars gave way to solid walls again. Confusion began to set in. "Where are you bringing me?" She growled, gaining back her willful personality.

"You'll be put in another cell far away from the prison wing." A Chi blocker passed by, pausing the conversation for a moment. Only when a significant amount of distance was but between them and the Chi blocker did their conversation resume.

"If you do escape, I do not want you too close to the prison wing. I do not want you freeing your fellow…_ benders_ in your potential escape." Disgust echoed from that single word, _benders._

Everything went quiet as the final leg of their journey brought them to the Avatar's cell; an Isolated, cold, and lifeless cell.

In just a few fluid motions, Korra resided inside that cell. Amon paused only for a split second to carefully watch the young Avatar.

"I pray your manners will be less… _abrasive_ towards the other members. I'll say this once, I have little patience Avatar. I hope that you don't test how little of it I have." And with that, he left the young woman to sit inside her metal cage.

Only one word echoed from behind. _Monster._

* * *

_**AN:** Now this chapter was like pulling teeth! Still feel like its off and possibly it is. But that's what I get for writing this from midnight to 8 in the morning with only a few... Amorra videos as distractions. *coughs*_

_Hope you enjoyed this longer chapter. _

_* Collapses on her bed.*_


	3. Chapter 3

Oh my lord. Do you people have any idea of how bad my email exploded with notifications? Two pages. _Two_ pages. *Takes a deep breath* I love every single one of you who favorited, gave a review, or put my story on alert. Seriously, I never expected anyone to like this.

Thank you all so very much! Every single one of you are the reason I'm giving you the third chapter earlier than I wanted to. Pffft! *Runs off to write another chapter.*

* * *

In just three days everything turned into a never ending cycle, twice a day water and food was brought to her cell and twice a day it sat there. The first day of captivity had her shooting flames, cursing the equalists in every possibly way as she fought against the metal manacles, her dark skin rubbed raw.

The second day proved to be… harsh upon the poor Avatar. Exhausted from releasing her flames and the lack of lack of food, she became too weak to fight. The chi blockers found her easy prey. Swiftly and accurately they temporarily made sure not even a puff of smoke could escape her mouth. Her abilities fizzled up like adding water to a burning flame.

Refusing the food they offered was the only way for her to feel like she had some control. Meager as it was, it was still something she could do.

She was at their mercy now.

Even as her hands wrapped around her knees in despair, it wasn't a comforting thought.

"Get a move on, _bender_." A voice echoed down the hall, the sound of chains rattling louder with every second.

Nausea claimed her stomach again. This was the fifth person that was being sent to _him. _Writhing in rage the Avatar hung her head down low. There was nothing she could do for the bender. Nothing at all.

Rattling chains and footsteps crept closer, threatening what little sanity she still had. Secretly she was sure Amon had wanted all this to happen. He wanted her to see all these people just before they became shells. Or he wanted to see her squirm in guilt as her blue eyes skimmed over every single face that passed by her cell.

Shadows began to dance to the left of her cell.

Her eyes snapped shut and her hands glued themselves to her ears. She would not look at them. She would ignore them; forget that one more bender would lose the one thing they held dear. Or two things, if they had more than one bending ability.

The rattling didn't stop. Inside her head the rattling clawed at her mind, ripping apart everything and everything that held her together. Doubled over with only her hands covering her ears, two thin streams of burning tears slowly crawled down her face.

For the first time since capture, the avatar began to sob. Quiet sobs turned into violent ones. Once she had broken down everything went silent. The rattling finally gave up its terrifying hold on her.

A door slammed shut down the hall, signaling the fate of one unfortunate bender, and the fate of every single bender.

In her misery and guilt she failed to hear the doors slowly creak open, her muffled sobs became dampeners, and her senses didn't catch the looming shadow peering between the bars. Completely silent the shadow watched as the woman's body violently shivered. Everything went sour.

Unable to take a second more he stepped into the light. He attempted to make himself know to the Avatar. "Crying won't help them, _Avatar_," He began, catching just a glimpse of her smoldering blue eyes. "You're just wasting your energy on them." Her body stopped moving.

"Are you here to gloat, _Amon_?" Her voice cracked. The tone was raw and filled with disgust.

A pause.

"No I am not."

"Then get the away from me." She growled; struggling to control both her voice and emotions. "You knew this was going to happen, _Avatar_. Be grateful I did not wish to kill them."

In just seconds his eyes fell upon her face, inches away with only the bars separating them. Blue eyes glittered with anger… and sadness. "Haven't you gotten what you wanted from me!" She screamed as her chained hands gripped the cold metal bars.

Whispering she added, "Haven't you taken everything away from me already? What… what more can you rip away from me?" Complete silence.

"I was informed you were not eating." The subject changed. The young Avatar saw this. A fist collided into the bars in front of him; the scent of blood suddenly filled the air.

Burning blue eyes glared straight ahead and without missing a beat she growled, "Don't change the damn subject. You _Monster_."

A minute passed before he could say a thing. "Avatar. The only monster I see is you." Another fist connected with the bars further strengthening the scent of blood in the air. "Who was the one that invaded republic city with an army? You could have done things peacefully! But you didn't!" Dark brown strands fell over her face, adding to her already murderous appearance.

Masked eyes narrowed down at the young woman in front of him. "Avatar I suggest you cease your comments_. Immediately_. " He warned. His fingers practically itched to wrap themselves around her fragile neck. However her pain was understandable.

Even if he was the cause of it all.

Air escaped his lips and with it, anger dissipated from his body. His promised echoed in his mind. _No harm will come to you, Avatar. _

Staring back into those blue eyes, he saw he had unintentionally lied to her.

Howling in rage, two fists banged against the metal her head bowed low with her wild brown hair covering her face. Sobs echoed all between the two of them. Sad, mournful tears.

"Damn you Amon." She croaked just as her body slowly began to sink down to the ground. "Damn you, damn you, damn you!" Each word caused her voice to rise stopping short of a scream.

Watching her once again cry brought no joy to his heart. It was cruel, yes. He knew people would get hurt. But why did the avatar's crumpled form cause so much discomfort? Victory suddenly turned to ash in his mouth. Doubt slowly crept in his mind, whittling away his resolve. Dangerous thoughts began to slowly claw through his mind. _No_! He would not allow such thoughts to twist his mind.

Too much was at stake to simply fall prey to these - shifting emotions.

And yet, his eyes could not tear away from her vulnerable form. Her shaking body became ingrained into his eyes; burning a picture inside his mind for all eternity.

He could bare it no longer. Unseen by everyone Amon dropped to one knee, his hand resting upon the Avatar's shivering shoulder.

"This was not what I wanted at all." Conviction gave his words more emotion. More _warmth_.

Inside his mind he could hear two distinct words. _Madness! Fool!_ They were right.

Swiftly he stood back up to full height and without a word he fled. He did not dare look back.

Korra only caught a glimpse of his fleeting back just as he disappeared down the ink black halls. Confusion echoed heavily on both sides. From where the avatar currently sat, nothing made a single amount of sense. Part of her wanted to scream, to vent her rage towards his distant body.

But she could not.

All she could hear was _this was not what I wanted at all. _

She wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe this was just some sick joke. And yet deep down she couldn't bring herself to do so. Two brand new stream of tears trailed down her cheeks once again.

Just like before her fists collided with the cold hard steel but this time they did not stop. Blood coated her busted and bruised knuckles, the skin almost worn to the bone in her futile attempts for freedom.

The steel bars continued to bar her way. Holding her within their cold embrace. They would not yield to her. They would only yield to Amon and his equalists.

Stifling another cry the avatar only prayed her friends were holding it together. Because spirits forgive her, she could not.


	4. Chapter 4

Isolated had a calming effect, a way to clear one's mind without outside interference. And that's exactly what he decided upon. With only a single candle and a large glass window for light, Amon tried to drown everything out. Beneath his fingers he could feel only two things, his wooden desk and the light feel of paper. Frustration had driven him to isolation, to escape his _wandering_ thoughts.

Yet somehow in the last hour, he had given up on work, simply content with looking out his bedroom window. Just like before he could feel the wood but this time it was attached to the window's frame, which had intricate carved details as far as style was concerned.

Shadowed eyes peered through the clear glass, eyeing many of his followers either practicing or unloading trucks filled with benders.

_Fifty-three_ benders. That was the number of benders he had personally cleansed today. It was also how many times he had seen _her_ helpless face.

His silence was broken. Now his mind truly began to wander, her words filling his once empty mind.

_Haven't you taken everything away from me already?_ _What… what more can you rip away from me? _Her blue eyes still glittering with tears and anger as they looked up, condemning the very man she saw.

His fist banged forcefully against the wooden frame, her words slowly fading away. In just two days everything became fuzzy, doubt lingering in everything he tried to accomplish. Years of plotting and planning was slowly being undone.

He cursed into the darkness.

Amon had once again underestimated the Avatar's powers, and was paying the price for it. Silently he lifted up his mask just as his fingers tried relieving his pounding headache. It didn't work. Another curse found its way past his scarred lips.

Amon found himself grinding his teeth together in frustration, similar to the Avatar he currently had locked up.

All those times they had seen one another nothing like this had happened. No matter how many times they fought against one another, he never felt the need to- _pity_ her. Was it even pity?

Left unchecked his mind began to _wander, _and soon his thoughts began to spiral out of control.

His fist once again connected with the wooden frame.

The candle's flame flickered behind him, making the shadows dance wildly out of the corner of his eye. Fluidly he spun on his heels putting his back towards the window; the sound of footsteps crept into his eardrums, breaking all of his previous thoughts.

Leaning forward he allowed one puff of air to escape his lips, permanently snuffing out the harmless flame. No, not a harmless flame, it was a flame waiting to become a raging inferno.

Once again doubt began its trek into dangerous waters, the Avatar's face following right behind.

Unable to contain it any longer his scarred lips formed a vicious snarl. Only a week ago the Avatar had been so scared of him and now, he was slowly feeling the same about her, for if she had this much control over him in just one visit, he dared not think about what a second visit could do.

"Amon, Sir." A voice echoed from the outside, breaking his torturous thoughts.

"What is it?" His voice snapped back. Silence, perhaps his tone had been _too _sharp.

"Mr. Sato is here." Or perhaps his tone hadn't been that _sharp_. "Send him in." He ordered, silently trying to hide any evidence of his previous mental breakdown. He would not give himself away. It was simply not an option.

Light flooded into his room as the door slowly creaked open. Standing straight up with his hands behind his back, Amon waited patiently for his _guest._

A figure walked in through the light, calmly and politely shutting the door behind him before gazing at one of the most powerful people in Republic city.

"What an unexpected surprise, Mr. Sato. What can I help you with?" His voice betrayed nothing, _absolutely _nothing.

Brown eyes fixed on brown eyes. Hiroshi at first didn't reply for he was busily fixing a button on his expensive suit. A hidden eyebrow rose up in mild irritation. Sato completely ignored Amon until a soft click echoed between the two of them, after that his head lifted up, full of pride and _hot air_.

"Excuse me for coming so late in the evening, but this concerns the Avatar." All sense of irritation flooded away, and Amon's eyebrow rose even higher in interest. A hand waved in the air, signaling for him to continue.

Which he gladly did, "We both know how valuable the Avatar. She's a symbol to all benders," He paused, his breathing slowing down to a crawl. From under the mask Amon could see the gears working inside his head. What was he thinking?

"What is on your mind, Mr. Sato?" He couldn't help but ask, hoping that this would get him to speak faster. Both of them were indeed busy with their own organizations, and this little meeting was slowly becoming a waste of time.

Hiroshi seemed to catch on real quick. He coughed, clearing his throat and breaking away from his distracting thoughts.

"I propose we eliminate the Avatar, permanently."

The room's temperature suddenly dropped a few degrees.

"What?" Amon voiced all too quickly. Sato ignored, dismissing it as if he hadn't heard him the first time. Without missing a beat Hiroshi continued his disgusting thoughts. "We must prove that we are serious in our cause. Getting rid of the Avatar would be the simplest solution." A harmless smile spread across the mechanic's lips. "To get rid of the very symbol of benders would be a devastating hit to their morale."

Once again Amon could think of nothing to say. This wasn't right at all, it was borderline insane. Unseen by Hiroshi his hands gripped one another behind his back, his knuckles white with silent fury at the proposition.

Mocking Hiroshi he cleared his throat before speaking to him, "She would literally become their martyr, Hiroshi. You're asking for all out war with every nation before we're ready." He stated without pausing, silently hinting he was _insane._

Once again Hiroshi brushed off his statement; instead he just kept spewing his idiotic words towards him. "We have to make a push and get rid of every single bender." Slowly realization hit. Death. That was what Hiroshi implied for every single bender. Simply taking their bending wasn't enough; Hiroshi wanted every single one lying in a pool of their own blood.

_Ridiculous_.

Perhaps things had indeed changed… for the worst. Letting loose a sigh Amon waved a hand in the air to end the discussion there. He didn't like where it was going to begin with.

"Mr. Sato what you're proposing is another hundred year war. I will not let things escalate that far." His tone was like steel, cold and unforgiving. This time Hiroshi seemed to hear him for Amon could clearly see the older man flinch in fear.

As if on cue, his door open up allowing two of his men to walk inside, Hiroshi left without any arguments, making it all the more suspicious.

Warily watching Hiroshi's body as it disappear behind the door, Amon clearly knew the businessman would not simply let this subject end here.

Waiting only a few minutes, making absolutely sure Hiroshi was indeed gone, Amon made his way to the door, opening it up to briefly speak with one of his men.

"Post a few men around the Avatar's cell and keep make sure Mr. Sato leaves the premises _quickly._" He ordered, gaining a nod from his equalist follower. Without a word the man hustled down the hall, obviously seeking out his lieutenant to make the necessary arrangements.

Amon could only watch as his pieced together his sudden impulsive action. Before all of- _this,_ he cared very little for the Avatar's wellbeing. Now his blood seemed to freeze just thinking of seeing the young woman lying down in her own blood.

Over the course of two days, the Avatar had indeed done something to him. What that something_ was, _Amon couldn't be certain. The only that he could be certain was he would not spill any bender blood, to do so would bring chaos for both non-benders and benders alike.

Even he could see that.

Overhead a loud siren blared in the silence; an eerie light drenched the halls red. The alarm had sounded. Within seconds the sounds of his followers echoed all around.

"Pipe breech! Get those damned pipes fixed; we can't have those fumes flooding the entire building!" An equalist shouted, bringing some order to the mass confusion and chaos.

Mindlessly he rushed down the halls, minding his men whom rushed for the masks and welders. But he paid them no mind, right now his mind was on one thing; the Avatar.

At first there was no gas or smog so to speak but further down the halls near the young Avatar's cell, a sudden wall of smog and gas assaulted him. His gut instinct had been right. This was an isolated event aimed at the Avatar.

Practically running blind, he glued his eyes to the left side of the walls, seeking a gap of some sort to alert him to the Avatar's cell, as the unknown fumes began to seep into his lungs, causing his breathing to become shallow and sluggish, even under the mask his own brown eyes began to feel the vengeful stinging sensation.

For just one Avatar, he was all too willing to sacrifice his own wellbeing for hers, what _madness_. But he was willing to do it, for whatever reason that drove him to such lengths.

Running through the wall of smog and gas, brown eyes caught the sight of a red gleam. His pace slowed as he approached the metal door, as his fingers swiftly prying the open the door.

Surveying the cell, only a single body laid crumpled up on the ground, barely moving or even responding to the equalist leader. She didn't utter a single sound, a grave sign.

Amon once again went down on one knee, his sleeve covering his mouth as he checked for any vital signs. A faint pulse blossomed underneath his fingers; a sigh of relief escaped from between his lips. Feeling the harmful bite of the thick smog, Amon tried maneuvering the Avatar up onto his shoulders, Remembering just how he had dealt with the unconscious blood bender Tarlock. And Instead of disposing of a bender, he was saving one.

The spirits apparently had a sense of humor.

Lumbering in the smog filled halls proved _difficult. _The avatar's added weight slowed his movements down considerably, allowing the stinging gases and fumes to bite at his eyes and lungs. Somewhere between two to three minutes the notion of dropping her and leaving her there was beginning to seem promising. However, seeing the fumes and gases beginning to dissipate, the thought was quickly cast to the winds.

Breaking into the clear air his watery eyes caught sight of two of his men, both of them running up to meet up with him. "Sir!" Both exclaimed in unison, their voices echoing worry and perhaps astonishment. Amon only lingered for a second to fill his lungs with untainted air before he even acknowledged that they were even there.

"I want this area sealed off as well as any other leaks that might have sprung up." He ordered. But his men gave one another a quick, concerned glance towards one another. They were right to do so; his voice had become so raw from inhaling too much of whatever had been in the halls behind him. But time was slowly ticking away, as was the time for concern and caution.

Brown eyes shifted to the man on the left. "I want wielders in here right away to fix the leaks and contain the situation. If there are any more leaks like this is the other prisoner wards, I want all other prisoners relocated to the south or north prisoner wards, provided they also do not have any leaks like this one." The man straightened up quickly nodded without any objections, and quickly spun on his heels to relay the orders.

The second man, the one on his right just waited for his own orders, which were gladly given. "Send someone with medical knowledge to my room; I'll want them to examine the Avatar." Nodding in acknowledgement the second equalist bounded off down the halls and then around a corner, quickly disappearing from sight entirely.

Once the two of them had disappeared completely, Amon quickened his pace, focusing on arriving to his room with the avatar in tow.

The repercussions for this were playing in his head, all of them he was willing to risk given the circumstances. If indeed the pipe breaking was isolated, then simply dropping the avatar in another cell wasn't going to keep her safe. No, this was the only logical solution to _their_ current predicament.

That still didn't mean things weren't going to go well if and when the Avatar decided to wake up.

A hidden frown cascaded down upon his masked face. Once again the spirits had a terrible sense of humor.

Nearly five minutes passed before his fingers fiddled with the smooth metal of his doorknob, earning a soft click as it opened up with little resistance. Relief mixed with exhaustion flooded every single cell in his body as his feet silently padded across the smooth wooden floors to his bed, where he deposited the unconscious Avatar.

Walking back across the room, he didn't dare look at her; he was too exhausted to do so at this point as he unceremoniously collapsed on the couch to the far left of the room. Unlike the peaceful Avatar, Amon wasn't able to breathe so – _effortlessly_. Every minute or two his lungs would tighten up, forcing him to release a few painful coughs here and there.

His mind still echoed how impulsive he had acted. But pausing for only a second to glance up at the avatar's still breathing body, and Amon for once, thought differently.

Echoing in the back of his head, the word _fool _made itself all the more evident.

* * *

**AN**: Sorry if the chapter isn't what you expected. But I wanted to get something out before Saturday. If for whatever reason, things go south in the season finale with Amon, I at least wanted to get something out.

If you spot any errors do not worry, I'll go over them tomorrow when it's not currently midnight. But I do hope you enjoyed this ridiculously long chapter!

Now then... JUST TWO MORE DAYS EVERYONE! *Flails*


	5. chapter 5

**AN:**

To all my readers, this is for you. Thank you for cheering me up when I seriously wanted to just throw my hands up in the air and say, I give up.

This story is now AU and proud! I will mention that this won't follow what happens in the finale. Everything from this point on won't be related to episodes eleven and twelve. The Amon you'll be reading about is the one I had in mind BEFORE the finale aired. Keep this in mind everyone.

But thank you readers for getting me back in the game. I present another long chapter for you all. Just... thank you everyone. If I could I'd give every single one of you real hugs just to say how happy I am to know you all are there.

I just... *hugs all of you* Enjoy another long chapter because, you all deserve it.

Please pardon any mistakes you see here. It's like nearly 2Am where I am and I checked I don't know how many times before I just gave up. I'll get on rechecking it in the morning if I have the time.

* * *

Breaking through the curtains, thin streams of light crept wordlessly into the room, falling right upon the sleeping Avatar's face.

Irritated by the light and the constant sound of birds chirping, Korra's dark eyelids slowly began to open. The very first thing her drowsy mind picked up on was how soft everything felt. Her body felt it was floating on air, for the first time in the past week; her muscles didn't ache like they normally did. Instead her body felt so, _relaxed_.

Her blue eyes lazily looked out in front and only saw a plain old wall, a completely boring and plain old wall. Her eyes drifted back down, blankly gazing at the white sheets that encased her body in softness.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the room getting brighter and brighter as the sun outside rose higher up in the bright blue sky. That's when everything hit her, the smoke, her dark cell, and the burning sensation in her throat. Everything came rushing inside her skull, fear quickly flooding all of her senses.

Her body sprung up like a coiled spring, eyes wide in fear and confusion. Breathing the Avatar darted her eyes all around the room. Her eyes unconsciously cataloged the hard wood desk flooded with papers, the plain walls, and the couch to the far left.

Filled to the brim with fear, her brain nearly didn't register the equalist leader sleeping peacefully upon the couch. Once everything had stopped spinning did her brain finally seem to register everything around her.

Fear slowly crept back into her senses, her thoughts spiraling out of control as to _how_ she ended up, of all places, with Amon her sworn enemy. Multiple scenarios began running inside her head, but none of them make any logical sense in the least. The only thing that kept resurfacing in her head was the smoke and the dreadful feeling of her lungs being on fire.

Unconsciously her tiny fingers curled up around her throat, feeling for any abnormalities like scars or wounds of some kind. But there were none to be found. Her skin felt like it always did, smooth and unscarred.

Casting aside her unanswered questions, she once again glared back towards Amon's sleeping form. Despite the fear and rage bubbling under her skin, she remained calm and quiet. Losing control now would not help her. The single mistake he had done was leaving her _unchained_, a fact that had Korra smiling ear to ear.

Silently her body inched slowly out of the bed, leaving the sheets in complete disarray and partially falling down to the floor. Feeling the cold wood under foot, Korra began her agonizing slow pace towards the door, bright blue eyes constantly darting back towards Amon in mild fear.

Slow and steady her body moved forward, her goal just inches away from her grasping fingers. Within moments her deft little fingers could feel the doorknob's cold steel. A smile tugged at the edges of the Avatar's face as the door silently began to open up.

Her heart sank the moment she peaked through the crack. Outside the door five equalists lingered about, watching and waiting for something to happen. All hope of freedom flew out the window the moment she saw them.

Five equalists were too many without her bending.

Dread set in once again. She was still a prisoner, just living in a nicer looking cell. Korra fumed beneath her calm and impassive face as she reluctantly inched the door closed. She was no fool; she couldn't take them out quick enough without alerting Amon in the process. If they didn't incapacitate her, _he_ would without a doubt.

Her white teeth tore at her lip; creating a thin stream of blood that dripped down her shin and fell down to the floor.

_I'm always two steps ahead of you, Avatar._ She could practically hear him mocking her right now.

The stream of blood widened in silent fury.

Whirling around, blue eyes fixated themselves upon Amon's sleeping body, his face still covered by that mask; that damned mocking mask.

Fire burned deep within her blue eyes as a new purpose carved itself inside her skull. She'd smash that damned mask once and for all.

Just like before she silently walked across the room, closing the gap between her and the equalist leader with every step. The plan was doomed to fail, yes. But she wanted to at least try. He had taken _everything_ from her; it was high time she tried taking something of his. It was childish, insane, and completely irrational, but she desperately wanted to rip that mask clean off and see the very man who started all this madness. She wanted to know if his stories were _real, _that he simply wasn't lying just to gain power.

A shadow loomed over Amon's body, but he still didn't stir from his slumber. Korra didn't argue against the sudden turn of events, all she could do was accept it and move forward.

And she did.

Steeling her nerves she leaned forward, her fingers itching to touch that mocking mask. For only a split second, she felt giddy as her fingers were just centimeters away from his mask. She was so close, so very close.

Without warning or any clear indication, a hand snapped out and painfully latched onto her wrist. A pair of brown eyes opened up and glared up at the young woman before him. Brown met blue that very moment. The avatar could feel a chill running down her spine.

Beneath the mask Amon's brown eyes narrowed dangerously thin, his grip got even tighter around her wrist.

"Have you ever heard the term, _let sleeping dogs lie_, Avatar?" He growled viciously, looking up at her scared and helpless face. She didn't respond. The Avatar just held her tongue and went completely still in his grip.

Tension began building as neither one wished to speak. Amon was silently furious with her actions, and Korra was just frozen in fear, her lips wouldn't be moving anytime soon at this point.

So here they were, two enemies put together in one room_, glaring_ at one another. The Avatar's blue eyes had that spark once more, burning with hate and rage.

Gathering up whatever courage the woman could, he finally heard her raspy voice. "How?" She croaked, involuntarily flinching at how different she sounded.

"You were too loud getting off the bed as well as opening the door." He said point blank, letting her know that he had been awake the whole time. However, he had not expected her to try and pry his mask off. After the door closed she had been quiet as a mouse, her presence all but extinguished until this very moment.

Unconsciously his eyes drifted down to her wrist, quickly realizing that he was beginning to leave red marks upon her dark skin. Releasing her wrist without a word, he began to rise from the couch, completely aware of the Avatar's burning blue eyes upon him.

Unchained and unshackled, she aimed for his face.

He dodged.

She threw a kick at him this time. He dodged once again. Fury spurred her on as she tried landing some more hits on him, but Amon proved too quick. He just weaved in and out of her attacks, his hands barely moving to counter-attack. Instead, he just allowed the Avatar to throw whatever she wanted to throw at him.

Raw strength oozed out of the woman as her hands and feet flew up in the air, decimating everything but her enemy. Rage blinded her, consumed her as her attacks went on and on. He spurred it on as he dodged, allowing her frustration to fuel her fury.

Huffing and puffing Korra could begin to feel exhaustion slowly sinking its claws inside of her. Every kick, every punch became slower and slower, and every breath she took became more and more ragged. Soon she stopped altogether, her limbs aching from her violent outburst.

"Are you done yet, Avatar?" Amon's voice mocked from behind her. Korra just stayed quiet, silently cursing him for everything. She knew he secretly enjoyed watching her struggle, watching her suffer under his watch.

_This was not what I wanted at all._ For a split second those words infiltrated into her thoughts, and for once, it forced her to rethink a few things. _He_ could have fought back, tried to subdue her, try to hurt her. But he hadn't. Every since that _one_ visit, he had refrained from touching her or causing harm. _Why?_

Korra whipped around coming face to face with Amon. Confidence echoed in her body language as well as in her blue eyes. For just a moment her mind began to wander all of sudden. Standing before her was her sworn enemy, a man scarred and soured by bending, and here she was unchained and unshackled looking up at him. It was only yesterday she was locked up in a cell, grimly awaiting a fate she wished for no one.

The spirits had a funny sense of humor.

"I do have better things to do than stand here, _Avatar_. So speak your mind now." His voice broke through her bizarre thoughts. Once again she rearranged her thoughts into coherent sentences before she even bothered to answer him. Even if she wanted to know why he hadn't hurt her, she had another question that needed answering.

"All I can remember yesterday was a cloud of smoke and fumes. Was that your doing _Amon_?" She asked point blank, her blue eyes searching for something to give him away. Beneath the mask, a single eyebrow rose up in the air as he let loose a deep reverberating chuckle.

Korra flinched involuntarily.

In plain sight Amon straightened himself up, once again proving he was quite tall compared to the young Avatar.

"Is that what you wanted to know?" He chuckled only to gain a scowl from the young woman standing before him.

"Yes I want to know if that was _your _doing." Korra snapped venomously at him. Observing her from the slits in his mask, he could clearly see that fiery side of her flare up. Free of her chains she had become what she was before; a spirited young woman filled with raw power. His room was a testament to her uncontrollable ways.

"I was not."

"Then who caused it?" Her voice started to get louder and louder.

A pause.

"You do not need to know." He said roughly before turning around and heading towards his desk. She knew he gave the cold shoulder the minute his back turned towards her, but she couldn't feel a bit _disappointed_. No, the feeling was betrayal.

Irritation sunk its claws into her, mixed in with a bit of anger at the man who, she knew, was hiding something from her. Granted they were enemies, but her life had hung by a thread yesterday. She had a right to know.

And that's when she spotted the pillow on the bed right behind her. Without thinking about the repercussions her fingers plucked the pillow from the disorganized bed and threw it in Amon's direction.

It hit him squarely in the back.

No one moved. Korra could not tell if he was angry or just startled by her action, but she knew she'd be getting some sort of punishment for this. For once, she didn't care. She wanted answers and she was going to get them, _now_.

He turned on his heels, his brown eyes slits underneath his mask. The only thing he saw when as soon as he faced her was her cocky grin.

"_Avata-_" He growled only be cut off by her.

"Finally got your attention don't I, Amon?" She teased, her arms crossed over her chest with that silly little grin on her face. "Maybe now you'll stop cutting corners and tell me _who _was responsible for the smoke and fumes." Her brazen blue eyes continue to stare straight at him. He saw no fear and no hesitation.

It just little under an hour or two she had changed her attitude several times. He saw her fearful, cocky, brash, aggressive, angry, and confident. Where had all of this come from?

He opened his mouth once again but a loud knock cut him off. Both of their heads snapped over to the door, but only Amon made his way towards it. Like so many times before he could feel the cold steel beneath his skin.

Pulling the door open with barely any effort at all, he caught one of his men waiting for him. The man straightened up instantly, having no idea what he just interrupted.

"Sir, the rally will be starting in ten minutes." He announced.

"I shall be there soon, give me just a moment." He said just before shutting the door on him. Amon didn't even wait for a yes sir from him. The only thing that was on his mind was that annoying Avatar.

Walking across the room he closed the gap between them, much to the Avatar's discomfort, and leaned forward to her ear.

"To answer your question, Avatar _Korra, someone_ far worse than I, is after your head." He could hear the air being sucked inside her lungs. A part of him pulled back just to see her face, to see her blue eyes wide in shock and possibly fear. But a part of him also hated it.

Thinking about it now, _he_ hated himself for just realizing just how close the two of them were. The first thing he noticed was her scent, it wasn't unpleasant. No. But it had changed since her capture; it had become tainted with the scent of blood. Taking in her wide eyed face, he could even see a bit of dried blood on her lips and chin. This little detail hadn't been there when he had fallen asleep.

It had been recent.

Unconsciously he had a mild urge to wipe off the blood.

Amon stopped himself right then and there.

Just like his first visit to her cell, he promptly left the room without a single word. Outside the stifling room, he ordered for them to transfer her to the other room besides his and _carefully _watch her. He'd be damned if Sato tried pulling another blatantly obvious stunt like before.

Under the mask his teeth clenched together, silently becoming his distraction and the same could be said for Sato.

Shoving aside everything for the moment, he pushed the rally to the forefront of his mind, guiding his legs and body in that direction. Everything else in his mind would be promptly crushed into dust.

He would not allow her to ruin him.


	6. Chapter 6

Out the window Korra could see Amon's men running back and forth all over the place. They never stopped; they just transported benders, cargo, and supplies in and out of the building. Only once did they stop, and that was to control a rebellious bender. He went down swiftly with a well placed jab and a quick and painful shock.

Korra felt her gut twist and writhe as she remembered being struck by their weapons. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. Silently she closed her eyes, letting loose a subtle sigh from between her lips. Just like a waterfall the memories came crashing down.

The smell of water wafted into her nose, slowly consuming everything around her. Even with all her layers she could still feel the bitter cold water of the pro-bending area, the bitter taste of defeat to the Wolf Bats, and finally… the arrival of the Equalists. The freezing cold water bit at her skin, while Bolin and Mako right next to her began splashing frantically to get out. They saw what she didn't see. Underneath the Pro-bending area Amon's right hand man was nearing the water, his staves twirling in his hands as they buzzed and glowed thanks to the electrical currents running through it. Whipping around she caught him kneeling down and shoving the staves into the water.

Blinding pain came soon after. Mako and Bolin echoed her pain, their screams bouncing inside her skull like a never ending nightmare. With wide in pain, Korra began to feel herself fading into the darkness, her limbs numb and useless. Slowly the water's surface consumed her body just as her strength waned. She succumbed to the darkness only to wake up, bound to a beam with her friends, Mako and Bolin.

Now that similar bone chilling sensation crept up her spine. Only this time she wasn't swimming in a body of water. It was just her damp hair, dripping wet from her shower, wild an unbound as it lay behind her back.

But the effect was still there. Her skin felt just as cold and numb now as it did back then.

A frown plastered itself on her face as she looked down at her attire. Her blue eyes didn't see her normal water tribe outfit, but instead what she saw was what every equalist wore, an olive green jacket and pants coupled with a set of crimson red boots just below her knees. Of course they denied her the big red scarf that could conceal her face and their weapons. Sourly Korra could only think that perhaps, her current outfit was to blame for bringing up the past.

And honestly, she wouldn't have even worn this outfit if not for the fact her clothing had been tossed out once she had departed for the showers. The equalists, just like their _leader_, were quiet and quick, as they took her native clothing and replaced it with their own.

She had no say in the matter and that was what terrified her.

The few things she had were slowly being ripped from her. The Avatar was losing what made her, well, _her_. Wearing their uniforms, to her, was just like saying Amon had won in more ways than one.

Unseen by the scurrying men that roamed outside, Korra's little white teeth grinded against each other in frustration as she finally forced herself away from the open window.

Korra could do absolutely nothing in her new 'cell'. Escape was useless given the fact she still didn't have her bending back. Without them, she was like a fish out of water, slowly suffocating while flailing about.

The only thing she _could_ do was to mediate, much to her displeasure.

Becoming stir crazy, Korra guided her feet across the hard wood floors to her bed and neatly sat upon it. It wasn't the proper thing to do, she knew, but it did beat sitting cross legged on a hard wood floor for hours on end.

Shifting only a tad she settled into the mediation position, her hands resting on her knees and her eyelids tightly sealed shut. Korra slowed her breathing to a snail's pace, blocking out everything around her.

Inside her mind everything started to spin and weave into a flood of blue fog. Struggling, she attempted to break through the fog only to end up with absolutely nothing. Even without her bending she was still a failure in terms of contacting the spiritual world.

Frustration broke her focus as her lips morphed into a scowl. Bitterly she began to curse the spirits for their lack of _assistance_.

Captured by one of the most notorious men in Republic City and temporarily without her bending, she would have thought someone would have given her some sort of help.

But they did not.

She tried once again, but only received more frustration.

After what seemed like two hours or maybe more, Korra just threw her hands up in defeat and anger, her focus completely shattered. "Fine! I get it! I failed being the Avatar you all wanted!" She shouted to no one but herself.

Feeling isolated Korra leapt off the bed, mindlessly venturing towards the door and the couch. Closing in on the door voices echoed from behind the ornate door. Mindless chatter, background noises, nothing more.

Then the door clicked open revealing an equalist baring a tray full of food.

Glancing out the window, Korra could see the sun's rays being replaced by darkness. It was dinnertime or possibly lunchtime. It was hard to tell without a clock of some sort.

Unreadable by his mask, the equalist walked carefully across the room, eyeing the Avatar warily as if she was a venomous snake. Childishly, Korra stuck out her tongue with her hands firmly placed on her hips, mocking him simply for fun.

He ignored it completely.

Instead of shooting a remark or comment towards her, he just placed the tray filled with various foods up on the table. Startlingly enough, the man just stood there, watching the Avatar with those freaky yellow goggles.

This was _different_.

Feeling defensive all of a sudden she straightened up, her body become stiff as a board.

"Worried I won't eat?" She mocked, hoping to get some kind of reaction from him. But she got nothing. He just stood still like a statue, a _creepy_ statue.

Blue eyes glared suspiciously at the man, only to break off after looking far too long at those creepy glowing goggles.

Giving in she walked towards her meal, completely ignoring the man watching her from the shadows. Unconsciously her mind drifted to Amon and _his_ tendencies to appear out of nowhere, the first time was at Aang's memorial island. It was also the first time she felt _fear_.

Suddenly she stopped as the memories began raining down upon her. Unhappily she had to close her eyes, focusing to stop the flood of emotions that bombarded her consciousness.

In her moment of weakness, the Avatar suddenly felt as if she could no longer breathe. Instead, she felt a pair of strong hands clamped around her neck. Her blue eyes snapped wide open as she felt being lifted up in the air, her feet hovering only a few centimeters from the floor.

Staring back at her was a pair of yellow goggles. It was the equalist.

Fueled by panic and fear the Avatar tried prying the man's hands off of her. But it proved useless as her fingernails harmlessly scratched at his gloved hands. There was no visible damage and it spurred him to increase the pressure on her neck.

Gasping in desperation got her nothing. Second by second her lungs burned with the need for air, only to receive nothing in return. Frantically her fingers kept scratching and tearing at the hard leather beneath her fingertips, as her feet kicked back and forth harmlessly.

Darkness inched closer and closer, taunting her with the thought that maybe, just maybe, she'd die here. Without air feeding into her lungs, Korra believed it too.

But just then a figure, cast in darkness crept up behind her assailant. Korra could not see who it was through her fog like state, but assumed it was the man's accomplice.

"I believe that's quite _enough._" A voice cut through the air like a knife.

A second later her body crashed to the floor, her body gulping large amounts of air into her lungs. Preoccupied with breathing Korra failed to notice the equalist's body lying crumpled up by her feet, unconscious and harmless.

"It seems Avatar; trouble seems to follow you like metal to a magnet." She heard looming above her, louder and clearer this time. Blue eyes shifted upwards only to see a white painted mask. _Amon._

Korra sneered up at him, catching her breath before speaking.

"And you're just my _shining _knight in armor_, _aren't you_?"_ She sarcastically spat at him. From behind the mask Korra was sure those brown eyes were currently shooting daggers at her.

"I see he failed to crush your windpipe." He shot back venomously.

"_Charming _as ever."

Amon remained silent as his men barreled into the room. His attention shifted from Korra to them in an instant. Standing at the door, Korra could pick out the Lieutenant and two other equalists soaking up the scene before them, each one coming to a different conclusion.

However Amon didn't allow them to voice their thoughts whatsoever. "I want him in one of the cells immediately and kept under guard unless I say otherwise." He ordered, giving life to his frozen men. The two masked equalists walked in, ignoring the avatar, and carried the body out of her sight. The Lieutenant however, stayed where he was, his green goggles fixed upon his leader.

"Make sure he's awake in twenty minutes, I want to have a _chat_ with him." The coldness in this voice once again brought shivers up her spine.

Amon's second in command nodded wordlessly, turning around the way he came and disappeared.

For the second time this week the two of them were _alone. _In a room. _Together_.

All of a sudden her assailant seemed so much better right now. At least _he _wasn't the man who currently left this unbearable silence in the air. Or wore that damnable white mask she'd come to loathe.

Sighing she accepted the fact that, even though they were enemies, he had saved her life once again. It left a sour taste in her mouth, but, she did prefer living over letting an insane psychopath win.

"So I guess this is the second time you've saved me." She grumbled, failing to sound the least bit grateful for his intervention.

"Second?" He questioned, confusion lacing that one word just as she hauled herself up onto her feet. She remained silent; preoccupied with simply keeping her firmly planted to the floor.

Once she was satisfied did even dare to look at him, or rather, his back. "First time was the incident with Tarlock and the second was just now after your insane little equalist tried strangling me to death. Which reminds me, do you normally allow murders into your ranks?" Not what she meant to say but unfortunately that's what came spewing from her lips.

It was the truth however. First he preached he wouldn't hurt her, and now, one of his men had tried to kill her without any rhyme or reason.

Perhaps triggered by her words or something else altogether, Amon whirled around coming face to face with the young Avatar.

"It is extremely tempting right now to let him finish the job." He growled, slowly falling into the Avatar's attempts to get a rise out of him.

"Then why don't you?"

"You know exactly why I cannot."

Everything came to a standstill now. Amon could not harm her because of his word and Korra couldn't openly attack him or his men due to the fact her bending was temporarily gone. Still didn't ease the rising tension and animosity that lingered between them. It also didn't help that her mind decided to pick up on his warm breath hitting her skin.

It proved way too _distracting_, much to her disgust. Everything that her mind conjured up she blamed on hormones.

Shattering her thoughts like ice, the young Avatar was the first to move. Crossing her arms over her chest, she straightened up her posture; still being shorter than Amon, and assumed a more serious expression.

"This kind of would not have happened if I _had _my bending." She shot at him, knowing very well what he might say.

Amon remained where he was, his brown eyes watching her every move warily. But eventually his stance changed just like hers, his hands grasped one another behind his back, something he did _very_ often it seemed.

"I am no fool, Avatar. I know you well enough to know you'd attack my men without hesitation. I wish to prevent that." He coolly replied. Korra expected nothing less. But that didn't mean she would let the subject drop.

Korra shifted her weight to her left while keeping her burning blue eyes on him. "Refusing to give me back my bending just makes me a big huge target for the lunatics, you know." She pointed out bluntly, as single tan finger pointed in his direction.

"You don't want to make me a martyr, I understand that. But given everything that has happened you're doing a very poor job of it." Her voice sliced through the air like razor sharp knives. Behind the mask Korra could just barely see his brown eyes glaring at her in pure anger or annoyance. It was difficult to pinpoint what he felt right now. But she knew this.

She was playing with fire.

However his response was not what she expected. At first she expected some sort of physical punishment for her outburst, but it never happened. Instead her eyes watched as Amon's body turned around and walked towards the door. He had not hit her, no matter how angry he was.

He only stopped once he stood directly underneath the door's wooden frame, his head snapping back at the young Avatar. Just the sight of his eyes sent another chill running up her spine.

"_Avatar_, I've warned you countless times that I have _little_ patience. Unless you wish for something to happen to your friends, I suggest that you keep your mouth shut." He threatened, pausing only to allow it to sink in.

Every muscle in her body froze.

"Now excuse me. I do believe it has already been twenty minutes. The next time I see you I expect your manners to be less _abrasive_."

As the door slammed shut, a crash echoed from inside, followed by another and another. Curses bounced off the walls as the young Avatar expressed her violent hatred, for the equalist leader.

* * *

**AN: **

For the past week this chapter has been staring at me... TAUNTING me to finish it. Finally I got back in the game and got this thing done with. Not what I had in mind, but I hope you all liked it none the less. I did love writing the banter for these two. *coughs* If you see errors... I am sorry. I always miss something even after I edit the chapter. -_-

Hopefully the next chapter will be done by the end of next week. I will however, make no promises.

Off topic: I really need a beta reader badly.

Someone just informed me that, because I had deleted my previous Author's Note that they could no longer review for this chapter. I'm ever so sorry if you're unable to. It should work for the next chapter but for now I know that for some you will be unable to review. If you are one of the few who can't, feel free to send me a message if you like. It's up to you.


	7. Chapter 7

Glaring at the bold intruder, who was currently tied to a chair and stripped of his weapons, Amon could feel his patience draining fast. For about an hour, the spy said nothing, as if his tongue had been cut or perhaps he just didn't have the ability to speak. Either way, the rather slim unshaven man refused to answer anything, even when – _persuasive_- methods were taken.

With every high voltage shock, followed by his screams, he simply just endured. There was no begging, no pleading. He just continued to grin and endure the pain. Watching silently behind the mask, Amon could clearly see his pale fingers clawing at the armrests. His useless scrabbling caused his nails to leave behind bloody trails all along the wood as another shock overcame him. Another scream bounced off the blue tinted walls. No one flinched.

Raising a hand, the equalist removed the rod that had been currently embedded in the man's back. Amon watched as the man doubled over in the chair, his sides heaving as he tried to block out the pain once more, sweat running down his face like tiny little rivers. Unlike before, his skin had taken on a ghostly pallor. A clear sign he was beginning to break

Whether he died or lived was up to him, provided, he said something of interest.

He didn't.

Amon lowered his hand. With only a nod, his subordinate placed the electrified staff back where it had been before, right in the spy's back. Another blood curdling scream echoed inside the room.

Another hour flashed by as the cycle kept repeating itself. A shock. A scream. A pause. Rinse and repeat.

But Just as Amon's hand lowered, giving the signal to go ahead with the torture, the man began to laugh. Two of his men shifted behind him, wary of the sudden maniacal laughter he exhibited. Sweaty and ghost white, the man rocked back and forth in his fit of laughter, his green eyes hallow and filled with madness.

Amon wasn't amused in the slightest.

The man's laughter died quickly, only to be replaced with a wide, crooked smile. Watching and observing, Amon noticed something flash underneath the man's murky green eyes.

Something wasn't right.

A very faint beeping grew louder, the source unknown. It was close, possibly inside the room. The unnamed man let loose a weak chuckle, "Burn…. All of you burn!"

Beneath the mask, Amon's brown eyes widened in realization and sharply turned to face his subordinates standing behind him. "Everyone get out now!" The beeping grew louder, unimaginably louder as his men rushed out the door, realizing what the beeping sound was and the danger they were in.

The beeping stopped, followed by an unimaginable force propelling bodies, chairs, and debris. Amon wasn't able to avoid the fateful collision with the wall, flames licking at his body as they burned through his clothing and cracked his mask in several parts. The scent of blood and burnt flesh wafted into his nose, broken and bruised, but still usable. His ears couldn't hear anything, being too close to the blast, and luckily, surviving. If only just.

A painful ringing echoed all around him, unable to hear the panic, the chaos, and the screams of his subordinates. Glancing to his left, bodies littered the floor, limbs twisted in awkward angles and covered in inhuman amounts of blood.

Orange flames flickered all about, consuming flesh, clothing, wood, the walls; everything was freely consumed in its mindless need to grow. Nothing was safe as the flames continued to grow, spreading farther and farther down the hall way and endangering countless lives. High above, close to the ceiling, thick billows of smoke crept into the vents, flowing into the once clean air and into many more rooms located along the hallway.

Shrouded by smoke and flames, he tried to lift himself up out of the rubble, body shaking from both blood loss and possible shock. The edges of his vision began to darken as blood escaped his lips, nose, and ears. A sharp pain seized his left arm. Looking down, the culprit was clear. His bones had splintered and broken through the skin, rendering his arm useless for the time being. His left foot wasn't doing so well either. Struggling to stand, using his right arm to pull himself up, using the wall as a support, pain wracked his body tenfold.

_You fool! Idiot! _He could practically hear those words echo inside his head. He didn't think, didn't see the danger that man actually processed. Now, his subordinates were paying the price. _He_ was paying the price for his negligence. Relying on will and determination, Amon shakily walked through the massacre, using the wall as his support in lieu of his possibly broken foot. Every second it became harder and harder to breathe, smoke and a couple broken rips adding to the increased difficulty to stay awake… to stay conscious.

Someone had control the situation… to put save whoever was left over from the explosion.

Blood began bubbling up from within his throat, forcing him to double over and go into an uncontrollable coughing fit. Cursing as the darkness continued to grow and losing feeling in his left arm and right foot, he couldn't anything else but allow it to consume him. His ears rung painfully, his skin began to grow colder, and his limbs refused to move anymore.

In seconds, he became another bloody body lingering on death's door.

Still locked in her eternal 'cage', Korra lingering in front of the door Amon had walked through.

_Avatar__, I've warned you countless times that I have__little__patience. Unless you wish for something to happen to your friends, I suggest that you keep your mouth shut._

His words echoed inside her head, taunting her, restraining her unbridled rage that bubbled up to the surface.

"Amon…" She spat, fists clenched and ready to hit the nearest person that dared pop out from behind that wooden door.

But no one opened the door. Not even the guards lingering outside. Everything was silent and peaceful, a beautiful lie.

Practically glued to the floor, the young avatar couldn't think of anything else to do. She couldn't escape; Amon wasn't a fool to reduce the number of men standing guard. No bending and no way out, she was yet again, at the mercy of the equalists.

Running her fingers through her messy, disheveled hair, she walked across the room indifferently. Rage still bubbled underneath the surface, threatening to spill forth like a volcano.

Then… it happened.

One minute the floor was still, tranquil and solid, and the next it was shaking like an earthquake had struck. Acting on impulse, Korra held onto the wall, steadying her legs as the vibrations rippled through the floor and walls.

"What in-"Her words were cut short when the sound of screams filled her ears. Blood and smoke wafted into her nostrils, leaving behind a sense of dread. Something hit the ground, loudly shattering against the floor. On a desk to her right a lamp fell off, shattering and scattering shards of razor sharp glass all over the place. Trapped in her cage, Korra could do nothing but wait out the vibrations, which, as quickly as they had come, passed with minimal damage.

Behind the walls, voice picked up volume. Someone shouted, "Bring water now!" Vaguely, a feminine voice added, "Hurry up! We need to find them!"

Guided by curiosity, she crossed the threshold, minding the bits of razor sharp glass littering the floor beneath her black boots.

The smell of smoke and blood got stronger the closer she got to the door, unbearably so. Fearing the suffocating stench, she covered her mouth and nose to protect against the smoke as she gently pushed the door open just a sliver. Six guards stood strong at their posts. They hadn't budged even when the floor shook and the halls smelled of death, strangely enough.

They just stood still, waiting patiently for her to make a move. She couldn't, and they knew it.

The air inside the hallway brought forth the gagging scent of burning flesh and ash. It was hard to stay quiet with the noxious, vile smell lingering in the air. But, she had to if she wanted to see what was going on. If she made a sound, they would see and lock the door to prevent her from ever seeing what was going on.

She hated it, but it had to be done. She had to _know_.

More equalists zipped down the hallway, towards the source of the vile mixture of death and decay. Two more followed behind the three that had just zipped by, three more followed, soon followed by even more of Amon's subordinates. She didn't understand it. What had happened that would cause such a destructive force in such a short time?

"You two, open the door now." A cold, distinctive voice barked. Korra glanced up from the opening, catching sight of Amon's right hand man… the lieutenant.

Snarling and cursing her luck, she quickly retreated in the confines of her room just as the door eerily creaked open to reveal the thin mustached man wearing bright green goggles.

Snorting, she took to the defensive, "What do I owe the pleasure, _lieutenant_?" Her voice sounded like ice, colorless and potentially sharp, if shaped in the correct way.

The lieutenant stood straight up, staring straight at her with those cold, glowing green goggles that hid his eyes from view. It was unsettling, and even more disturbing than the smell of burning flesh running rampant down the hallway.

The air between them grew heavy when Amon's right hand man said nothing. It was eerily silent, only broken by a few men out in the hallways shouting orders and running around.

Then, all of a sudden he spoke, "I require your assistance."

That single sentence caught her attention, for a brief second.

Standing tall, with a wide stance and her head up she snorted at him. "Oh? I thought you guys hated benders. Why would you want my help?" She didn't bother to hide her anger and disgust in her voice; surely he knew she'd decline in helping the equalists.

They fought and battled against one another a few times in the past, so why was he asking for her help now? Why wasn't Amon here instead of him?

There was a sudden tense atmosphere around the lieutenant. It was subtle, but clear in the slight change to his stance and in his fingers. Ever muscle in his body was tense, coiled up and ready to spring.

He cleared his throat, noisily to break the silence. "Are you or are you not skilling in healing using your bending?" A single brown eyebrow shot up, blue eyes glaring daggers at the man before her.

She felt like lying, to spite him. But she couldn't, at least, not now.

"I can with my water bending."

"Then come with me."

"No." Her voice sounded cold, like ice again.

Light shined in from behind, allowing her eyes to catch sight of a hand rapidly coming at her. The action was too sudden, too quick. She couldn't move out of the way in time. Fingers roughly grasped the front of her uniform. The hand lifted her body up a few inches of the ground, making her come eye to eye with Amon's right hand man. Darkness consumed the lieutenant, casting a bone chilling glow to his green tinted goggles.

Snarling and growling like a feral animal, she put her hand over his in anger. Beneath her nails she could feel the material of the glove, smooth but flexible, like leather. "Where is Amon? Why isn't he here with that stupid mask?"

Hesitantly he replied, "He cannot see you in his current condition."

"Condition? What is he pulling now!?" She roared, kicking her feet back and forth like a child throwing a tantrum.

Amon's words entered her head, a silent warning to behave and be a good little girl. But how could after everything he'd done? He started this madness...

The sun's rays changed and shined in the lieutenant's green tinted goggles, erasing the glow that had emanated from them previously. "Listen," his voice was sharp, stern, and powerful. It wasn't anything like Amon's voice, but got her attention, for _now_.

"Because Amon's been so keen on keeping you alive, keeping his promise to you, he is now in critical condition. He may or may not live very long without medical attention…" There was truth to the words he said, judging from his wavering voice and the sadness and grief that tainted his words. But still…

Korra clenched her hands into fists, closed her eyes and tried to block him out. "You want me to help him? Heal him? Save him?"

His response was quick, "Yes."

In the pit of her stomach she felt joy, joy that the threat of Amon would soon come to an end if she refused to help him. She would be free to do what she wanted, free from his grasp… as would her friends.

"I can't help you." The hand holding her up loosened for just a moment, before tightening back up. She couldn't see the lieutenant's face with her eyes closed, but she imagined the fury lingering behind those goggles.

"You-" He began, anger bubbling and boiling over inside his tall body. "Is that how you treat someone who's saved your life -_three_- times? IS IT!" Now he was yelling, letting loose all that pent up fury and anger.

Her eyes snapped open. "I wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for him! None of this would have happened if not for him!" A single moment turned into a yelling match filled with anger, contempt, and grief.

Eventually the lieutenant released the avatar in disgust. Korra knew could not harm her, due to Amon's orders. That was why he let her go, because otherwise, he'd attack her with no remorse. It was in his eyes, in his stance, his posture. It was hard to miss.

Then out of the blue, he spoke. "You are no avatar. You're just another bender bent on killing. You wanted us to believe you were the force of equality, for change?" There was a brief pause, "I don't believe you. None of us do. If you really want to help, to stop this madness you'll help us, help him." He finished his speech, growling as she couldn't form any words or bring herself to help the man that caused all her misery.

Internally she hated herself for this, letting someone die to satisfy her revenge…. But he deserved it… right?

Lost in thought, she never saw the Lieutenant leave nor did she hear the door slam shut. The only thing she felt was a mix of regret and joy. They battled inside of her, fighting to win as precious seconds trickled by.

* * *

**AN:**

This chapter was long overdue. I'm SO sorry for making you all wait! AS you can see, this isn't my best writing but... I wanted to try and do something while I still had the time. Finals are coming up so obviously, I wanted to write this up (errors and all) before that happens.

I will say this, I enjoyed writing this chapter, even if I felt like I sucked majorly writing it. It's not on par with what I've written previously, I know. But I'm terribly sorry.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I really, really do.


End file.
